Excessive moisture in a variety of scenarios can cause numerous undesirable effects. Often, places susceptible to such excessive moisture content are breeding grounds for bacteria, funguses, and various other types of pathogens. When these locations are persistent on the human body various afflictions such as intertrigo and bacterial infections often occur jeopardizing the health of the host body.
Historically, men and women alike have attempted, utilizing various methodologies, to alleviate, prevent, or otherwise limit the wetness and odor caused by perspiration. In humans, excessive moisture (i.e. perspiration) can be trapped in any number of crevices along the human body. This increased moisture level can then, in turn, be exacerbated by heat (including body heat), a lack of air circulation, and friction between places of skin-on-skin contact (i.e. skin folds). Often such a combination of factors results in tenderness, redness, friction, and intertrigo amongst other afflictions. These conditions can then lead to secondary infections caused by funguses, bacteria, yeasts, and the like. Once these ailments have set in, treatment is typically seen in the form of creams, ointments, powders, and anti-inflammatories, anti-fungals, and even antibiotics in extreme cases.
There are a number of options available to help alleviate, avoid, or reduce such ailments including: avoiding tight clothing, losing weight, and wearing a brassiere or other garment with sufficient support. However, these steps are not necessarily practical or effective for all of those who suffer from these conditions as there are a wide variety of reasons and medical issues that can cause the aforementioned ailments.
For example, for many the “underbust,” or area below/underneath the breasts is particularly problematic, especially for those women who are overweight or have particularly large breasts. Yet, women with “average” breasts are not exempt from this condition and should be cognizant of the implications of such an affliction. Typically, women attempt to combat this problem and discomfort by using various objects of relief such as but not limited to napkins, tissues, gauze, anti-fungals, toilet paper, and other suggested remedies, and the like only to be greeted with tepid results. Further, when such remedies are used one must be fearful of losing the placed objects of relief and being subjected to embarrassment due to the unfixed nature of these items.
Additionally, in other settings, older adults may have difficulties with incontinence or are bed ridden which can lead to similar symptoms around the buttocks and genital region, especially the inner thighs and between the buttocks. Even still, overweight individuals may have a number of skin folds which require constant cleaning and moisture absorbing powders to prevent excess sweating and moisture build up.
Thus, there is a need for the moisture management material to be integrated with a garment, medical device, or article of clothing that helps to reduce or move away excess moisture and create a barrier to skin-on-skin contact to prevent or limit the frequency of the aforementioned and other not named afflictions. The present invention and its embodiments meets and exceeds these objectives. The present invention uses at least one moisture management material strategically located and capable of being variably positioned to further create a barrier to skin-on-skin contact. This allows one to target problem areas and increase the relief from discomfort.
Review of Related Technology:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,304 pertains to a foldable one-piece insert worn between the brassiere and the body having irritation reducing and/or absorbent material portions which line the brassiere cup and that lie under the supported breast, and portions which extends toward the torso rear under the brassiere side straps and a portion extending below the brassiere line along the torso. The invention further includes a material tab disposed between the material portions lining the brassiere cups, which can optionally be worn up to bridge the area between the brassiere cups for added protection, comfort and absorption of perspiration, or be folded down and out of sight when worn with lower cut neckline outer garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,359 pertains to a brassiere barrier device comprising a flexible, substantially flat absorptive protective band worn on an abdomen of a woman's body. A top edge of the band extends under the breasts and a lower border at the cups of a brassiere, so as to prevent dermal irritation and lesions caused by heat, moisture and chaffing associated with use of the brassiere.
U.S. Patent Application 2013/0104914 pertains to a brassiere accessory for eliminating or substantially reducing the discomfort, chaffing, pain, rash, intertrigo, and infections caused by pressure of a woman's brassiere cup rim against her chest, and by perspiration trapped between the woman's breast and chest.
Various devices are known in the art. However, their structure and means of operation are substantially different from the present disclosure. The other inventions fail to solve all the problems taught by the present disclosure. The present invention provides for a reconfigurable moisture management material that can be placed to target areas of the body susceptible to moisture buildup. In some embodiments, such as when applied to a brassiere, the moisture management material can be folded into the cup of the brassiere providing increased levels of support and lifting of the breast. At least one embodiment of this invention is presented in the drawings below and will be described in more detail herein.